Solid Aether

You didn't ask, but I've always preferred the Final Fantasy VII cover art from Japan over what we got here in America. There's a simplicity to it that really stands out, as if it's reminding you that this game is so important that they don't even have to draw a picture. I was reminded of how much I like that minimalist approach while playing Solid Aether, a deceptively difficult shoot 'em up from first-time developer FAL Works. Instead of filling each level with fancy graphics and stylish flourishes, we're treated to a visually arresting shooter that strips everything you love about the genre down to its bare essentials.

When I say that Solid Aether is stripped-down, I mean it. There's no story, no characters and nothing in the background. You won't find bombs, power-ups, items or even a scoring system. It's just you, a white background and wave after wave of bad guys and their punishing bullet patterns. In this case, we're controlling a small rectangle whose only job is to shoot down the enemies and dodge their fire. This turns out to be easier said than done.

I make it sound boring when I describe the game as having a white background and boxy characters, but I think the minimalist look is actually quite striking. The vertical playfield is so crisp and clean that you can practically eat off of it, and there's a drop shadow effect on the ships and bullets that makes the whole thing pop. It's actually surprising that a game this simple in design can still find new ways to stand out from the crowd.

Part of the reason why this game is so much fun is because the developer understands what people want out of a bullet hell shooter. There are obviously all kinds of challenging bullet patterns to contend with, as you would expect, but it goes beyond that. The bullets sometimes feel like they have a mind of their own. They bend and twist and almost have a 3D arc at times, something that I found endlessly mesmerizing.

There are four different stages to fight through, each with their own waves of increasingly difficult enemies and a challenging boss battle at the end. There's also an endless mode that just sews everything together to see how long you can go. All of these stages look the same, though the enemy patterns definitely change. The difficulty ramps up as you take on the later stages, though it's a lot more accessible than you might initially expect. Between giving players plenty of extra lives and the ability to pick up from right where you died, Solid Aether isn't as punishing as other bullet hell shooters. I mean, it's still punishing, but in a slightly more newb-friendly way.

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For as much as I like the style, part of me wishes the game would mix things up from one stage to the next. Even if it's a slightly different effect or background color, it feels like something is needed to show the difference. I also had issues with what felt like an inconsistent hit box. Sometimes the bullets will glide right through the borders of my rectangle, while other times a single touch was enough to destroy my ship. I was never fully clear where that hit box was supposed to be, which is a little annoying.

On that note, part of me wishes this wasn't quite as bare-bones as it is. It sure would have been nice to have a score and leaderboard, especially in the endless mode. Or maybe give us an option to change the shape of the ship. While I like how small and simple this is, I would like to see the developer take this game in a more ambitious direction. I'm definitely interested to see what FAL Works comes up with next.

Solid Aether is the very definition of bare-bones, and that's a good thing. This is a stripped-down shoot 'em up with a crisp and clean art style and bullet patterns that are almost hypnotic at times. The trade-off is that almost everything you expect from a shooter has been taken away, including bombs, power-ups, items and even a scoring system. The result is a mesmerizing action game that may be simple in scope, but still manages to stand out from the crowd.